The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: Satipatthna : A Handbook of Mental Training Based on the Buddha's Way of Mindfulness, With an Anthology of Relevant Texts Translated from the Pali by Nyanaponikahttp://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhist-Me ... d_sim_b_21" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The heart of the path is SO simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are. That is all I do in my own practice. Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. Of course, there are dozens of meditation techniques to develop samadhi and many kinds of vipassana. But it all comes back to this - just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle. - Ajahn Chah

The heart of the path is SO simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are. That is all I do in my own practice. Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. Of course, there are dozens of meditation techniques to develop samadhi and many kinds of vipassana. But it all comes back to this - just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle. - Ajahn Chah

The meditation approach taught by Mahasi Sayadaw's meditation centres in Burma, and his students such as U Pandita and Chanmayay Sayadaw, are the basis for much (but not all) of what is marketed as "Vipassana" or "Insight Meditation" in the West.

Various books by Mahasi Sayadaw and others, including U Pandita: "In this very life" are here:http://www.aimwell.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bhante Sujiva's book "Essentials of insight meditation practice ( A pragmatic approach to vipassana )" is a detailed manual of Mahasi-style meditation that I have found to be a very useful reference. http://www.sujiva.wz.cz/english/books_eng.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Meditation instructions from various teachers, including Mahasi Sayadaw and Chanmyay Sayadaw are here:http://www.buddhanet.net/insight.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Joseph Goldstein, Steve Armstrong and Patrick Kearney were students of U Pandita, the latter two were monks in Burma for several years. Talks by Joseph Goldstein and Steve Armstrong at: http://www.dharmaseed.org/teachers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;http://www.audiodharma.org/talks-vipassana.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;Patrick Kearney has entire sets of his retreat talks at:http://dharmasalon.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;If you have the time, working through one of those sets is very worthwhile.

This offering maybe right, or wrong, but it is one, the other, both, or neither!Blog,-Some Suttas Translated,Ajahn Chah."Others will misconstrue reality due to their personal perspectives, doggedly holding onto and not easily discarding them; We shall not misconstrue reality due to our own personal perspectives, nor doggedly holding onto them, but will discard them easily. This effacement shall be done."

Looks like an excellent book! Once my book-fast is over on January 1st I may just have to purchase this one. Have you read it yourself? Mettaya.

Mike

Well he is my 'teacher' so yes, and the rest of his books will be etting his new one when he is over here in nov/dec.

I am abit uncomfortable calling him my teacher, all though fr simplicity he is!

This offering maybe right, or wrong, but it is one, the other, both, or neither!Blog,-Some Suttas Translated,Ajahn Chah."Others will misconstrue reality due to their personal perspectives, doggedly holding onto and not easily discarding them; We shall not misconstrue reality due to our own personal perspectives, nor doggedly holding onto them, but will discard them easily. This effacement shall be done."

I have just finished reading Simply This Moment by Ajahn Brahm. It's a collection of Dhamma talks. Most of them were given during the rains retreat at Bodhinyana Monastery, and, accordingly, they are mainly about meditation, and to be more specific, about the relation between the five hindrances and samadhi. To all German readers: This has been published as Nur dieser Moment: Anleitungen für die buddhistische Praxis just recently.

Seren­ity and insight are the two great wings of Bud­dhist med­i­ta­tion. They each have a spe­cial role to play in the path to Awak­en­ing. While some mod­ern approaches seek to mar­gin­al­ize seren­ity in favor of ‘dry’ insight, the Buddha’s own dis­courses place seren­ity right at the cen­ter of the path. This book col­lects vir­tu­ally all the sig­nif­i­cant pas­sages on this topic that are found in the early dis­courses, care­fully elu­ci­dated for the mod­ern reader.

"The Visuddhimagga compiled by the Venerable Buddhaghosa is an exposition of the three trainings. It is based on the Pali texts and commentaries, and explains the seven stages of purification, and sixteen insight-knowledges. But how to attain them has been a difficult question for all Buddhists for many generations. For this, we are fortunate to have the Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw. His teaching is the same as, indeed it is in much more detail than, what is described in the Visuddhimagga. Based on the very same sources, the Pali texts, commentaries and the Visuddhimagga, the Sayadaw teaches meditators, step by step, how to attain those stages of purification and insight-knowledges."

I'm currently near the end of 'Kamma and the End of Kamma' by Ajahn Sucitto and really want to recommend it. I'm thinking of reading it right through again, I got so much out of it.

I've found this a great resource for more directed meditations. It gives some clear (for me at least) perspective on the relationship between building kamma and over-emphasis of self. I've found its explanations really helpful at a time when I have several difficult 'real-world' problems. It might just have been the right book at the right time for me, but I feel it pulls together issues of kamma, mindfulness and anatta in relation to everyday issues.

Right Speech: It is spoken at the right time. It is spoken in truth. It is spoken affectionately. It is spoken beneficially. It is spoken with a mind of good-will. [AN 5.198]

Personally, I seem to gain the most insight when I am under the most pressure, when life is at its most unpleasant. There is something in me on those occasions which feels that there is nothing left but to be aware of 'this'. Ajahn Sumedho - Don't Take Your Life Personally, p288

Anyone care to make a shorter list of the best readings for people who don't have time to go through all of those readings?

In reading the scriptures, there are two kinds of mistakes:One mistake is to cling to the literal text and miss the inner principles.The second mistake is to recognize the principles but not apply them to your own mind, so that you waste time and just make them into causes of entanglement.

Jhana4 wrote:Anyone care to make a shorter list of the best readings for people who don't have time to go through all of those readings?

How bout this one:

“Only one book is worth reading, the heart.” - Ajahn Chah

I have to warn you though, this one will take a lifetime to finish!

The heart of the path is SO simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are. That is all I do in my own practice. Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. Of course, there are dozens of meditation techniques to develop samadhi and many kinds of vipassana. But it all comes back to this - just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle. - Ajahn Chah

I like this one especially because it really focuses on the essencials and focuses on the pali canon as a reference.-Triple Gem- Five Precepts- Four Noble Truths- The Eightfold Path

I still use it on a regular basis to look up things and can recommend it to beginners as well as more experienced practitioners. It's a very good overview and provides a solid basis of knowledge to work with.